Mail-box.



No. 805,351. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. W. 0. DRESSER.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.4, 1905.

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ATTORNEYS PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. W. O. DRESSER. MAIL BOX. APPLICATIONFILED PBB.4.1905.

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MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed February 4, 1905. Serial No. 244,145.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM OSCAR DRES- SER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Oripplecreek, in the county of Teller and State ofColorado, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes,of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in mailboxes intended for use for streetand rural delivery of mail-matter; and the invention consists in certainnovel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front View; Fig. 2, a side view; Fig. 2*,a detail crosssection on about the line 2 2 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 3 across-section on about the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, of a box embodying myinvention. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on about the line 4 4 ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on about the line 5 5 of Fig.4. Fig. 6 is a detail section on about the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7isan elevation of a portion of the inner side of the door, showing thecombination-lock thereon; and Fig. 8 showsa box adapted to be cast inaluminium or suitable metal.

By my invention I provide a novel construction of box made of metal andsuitably constructed of the difierent plates secured together, as willbe described.

As shown, the box includes the base-plate A, the top plate B, thebody-plate having the front section O and the side sections D, saidfront and sides O and D being integral, as best shown in the detail Fig.2, and the bottom plate E. The plates B, D, and E are provided at theirinner edges, respectively, with lateral flanges B, D, and E, which arelapped against and riveted or otherwise secured to the base-plate A, asshown at a in Fig. 1. The plates D are provided at their upper ends attheir front corners with the upwardly-projecting lugs (Z, to which ispivoted atf the lid F, which covers the letter-slot O in the front plateor section (1. As shown in Fig. 4, the top plate B extends forwardlybetween the lugs d and beneath the pivot f and has a downwardly-bentflange 5, which forms the top wall of the slot G the lid F curving at Fforwardly over the front edge of the top plate B, as the pivot f islocated slightly in rear of the front edge of the top plate, as will beunderstood from Fig. 4 of the drawings. By this means I shed water fromthe opening 0 and prevent water from entering the box through the saidopening. At its opposite sides the top plate B is provided withdepending flanges B which overlap the upper ends of the side plates orsections D, said flanges B terminating at 6 close to the rear edges ofthe lugs d, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

At their lower ends the side plates or sec tions D are provided with theinwardly-projecting flanges D which lap beneath the bottom plate E, saidflanges D and the flanges B of the top plate being riveted or otherwisesecured to the plates which they overlap, thus forming a box which isstrong and rigid in use.

The front plate or section O is provided with a dooropening O, which isclosed by the door G, hinged at G at one edge and provided at its otheredge with a bolt G Which may be engaged with a suitable stop Gr in theletter-box, as shown in Fig. 3, to lock the door. The bolt Gr is part ofa combinationlock H, having the dials I controlling the movements of thebolt, which latter is arranged for operation by the handle J. Manifestlythe form of the combination-lock may be varied, and it is not necessaryto show the same in detail herein; but I have illustrated in Fig. 7 anelevation of the inner side of the lock and it is not thought necessaryto describe it in detail. A combination-lock for this purpose would befound eflicient and very convenient. I also provide the door G with anopening covered by a glass plate g, so the contents of the box may beseen at any time.

Letters and the like may be inserted through the slot O and I find itconvenient to provide means for holding newspapers and similar packages.For this purpose I employ a spring-wire bail K, which at its middlebears against the front of the box, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, andextends for its major portion approximately parallel with the front ofthe box. as shown in Fig. 2, and then has its arms deflected rearwardlyat K alongside the box and then extended downwardly at K and providedwith a series of coils K with the extended ends K secured to the sidesof the box at K it may be, by bending said ends into sockets in thesides of the box, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. I find itconvenient to brace the bail and to confine the coils K by means ofhooks L, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 6,) the hooks extending through the coilsand operating to retain the same and also to stay the wire bail, as willbe understood from Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings.

WVhere desired, a name-plate M of suitable metal may be provided in thefrontof the box to receive the name of the owner of the box or thenumber of the house or for any other purpose desired.

In Fig. 2 the drop-lid F is shown closed in full lines and open indotted lines, and when arranged as shown it can be thrown open and willremain so while letters are being placed into the box.

In practice I find it desirable to construct the box of metal and findwhen made as shown and described it will form a safe and convenientplace for reception of mail-matter.

It may be desirable in some instances to cast the letter-box inaluminium for attachment to office-doors, club-rooms,rooming-houses,&c., and I show such a construction in Fig. 8, in whichthe box is provided at its upper end with a lug O to receive a screw forsecuring the upper end of the box, a lower screw 0 being passed throughthe back of the box, so that the latter will be securely held to thedoor or other support.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improvement in mail-boxes herein described comprising thebase-plate, the main plate having the front and side sections and havingthe latter provided at their inner edges with lateral flanges lappingagainst and secured to the base-plate and the front plate or sectionbeing provided at its upper end with a letter-slot and at its lower endwith a dooropening, the door fitted to said opening and hinged at oneedge and provided at its other edge with a combination-lock having abolt by which to hold the door closed, the side sections of the mainplate being provided at their lower ends with inwardly-projectingflanges overlapping the bottom plate and also provided at their upperends at their front corners with the upwardly-projecting lugs, thebottom plate secured to the inwardly-projecting flanges of the sidesections and provided at its inner edge with the flange lapping againstand secured to the base-plate, the top plate having at its inner edgethe flange lapping against and secured to the base-plate, provided atits side edges with depending flanges overlapping the side sections ofthe main plate and having at its front edge a depending flange formingthe top wall of the letter-opening, the drop-lid pivoted to theupwardly-projecting lugs of the side sectionsand curving thence andadapted to close the letter-slot, the springbail for holding newspapershaving its arms coiled and extending beyond said coils and secured tothe sides of the letter-box, and the hooks projecting from the boxthrough and engaging with said coils, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination in a letter-box with the front plate or sectionhaving a letter-slot and the side plates or sections having theupwardlyprojecting lugs at their front edges, of the top plateprojecting at its front edge between said lugs, and the drop-lid pivotedto said lugs above the front edge of the top plate and adapted whenlowered to close the letter-slot, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM OSCAR DRESSER.

Witnesses:

J. H. LAWLOR, KATE J. MILLER.

